Mug 1791

Curator: Here we have a glass mug created in 1791 by Johann Joseph Mildner. It’s currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Editor: It’s a surprisingly compelling object. The clear glass, that inset portrait... It has this intriguing weight, both literally, I imagine, and figuratively. Curator: Indeed. Let's delve into that weight. The piece embodies a fascinating interplay of high art and the everyday. We see a clear glass mug, suggesting functionality and accessibility, but then observe the meticulously crafted, engraved portrait of St. Michael. Editor: Ah, the iconography is impossible to ignore. St. Michael, archangel, leader of the heavenly host—all on something you’d drink beer out of. Who would have owned such a piece, I wonder? Was it purely decorative? Curator: The assumption could be that such an elaborate item would be for a high class family. The glassmaking process itself involved a skilled labour force and particular access to materials. Glass of that purity in this form wasn’t ubiquitous. Mildner was working within established patronage networks and responding to market demands for decorative glass. Editor: Right. So, thinking about this object as reflecting social dynamics: A vessel emblazoned with religious power in domestic use. The imagery elevates the act of consumption. This connects the everyman with something "holy". Curator: Precisely. This piece encapsulates broader artistic trends of the time, bridging functional design with elevated iconography, craftsmanship and the political atmosphere. What stories might this object whisper if it could speak? Editor: Certainly. Its very existence prompts us to re-evaluate categories of craft, art, use, and the values associated with them. It encourages a re-assessment of the everyday lives of the people it served and whose homes it occupied. Curator: And on a personal level, viewing the art, even after researching, still leaves a space for a level of curiosity about its origins and intentions that still have us guessing.